Heat’s Tyler Johnson: ‘We all want James Johnson back’

Tyler Johnson #8 and James Johnson #16 of the Miami Heat high-five during a game against the Indiana Pacers on February 25, 2017 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

MIAMI — Guard Tyler Johnson and forward James Johnson share more than just the same last name.

“Some people you just meet and you have an instant connection with,” Tyler said of James. “He lives right up the street from me. I don’t know, we just can relate to each other.”

Again, it’s more than just the last name. Tyler and James live close to each other in Pinecrest — a neighborhood in Miami — and built a unique bond on and off the basketball court in just one season together as teammates.

When James signed with the Heat last summer, Tyler was the first player who worked out with him. That was before they realized they lived close to each other.

“I just happened to drop him off one day and it turned out he was five minutes away,” Tyler said. “We hang out a lot. His girl and my girl hang out. Our kids, when his son is around, he comes and hangs out with mine. We’re together a lot.”

This relationship has helped their on-court chemistry — so much so that the Heat began referring to them as “The Brothers Johnson.” As the top two weapons off Miami’s bench, Tyler and James combined to average 26.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists this season.

Both players had career years, as Tyler and James each averaged career-highs in points, rebounds and assists.

“You play with brothers, you play with teammates, you play with friends and you get mad at each other sometimes when this person is not doing what you know what he can do or vice versa. But me and him don’t do that,” James said of Tyler. “We talk it out, we laugh about it or we watch film together and see what we can do to help the whole team, not just us two.”

Like when James headed to the practice court with Tyler after the Heat’s loss to the Knicks on March 31 to work on their free-throw shooting.

“We can bounce ideas off of each other and we developed that trust early and I think that’s a rarity in any professional sport with money on the line,” Tyler said. “But between me and him, it just made it easier for us when we were in a lull or a funk to bounce right back because we knew that we genuinely had each other’s back to pull each other out of it.”

But Tyler and James could be separated this summer. Tyler is under contract with the Heat for the next three seasons, but James will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

James has made it known that he wants to return to the Heat and could even be willing to take less money to be back in Miami. But Tyler understands the business.

“I couldn’t imagine him leaving or going somewhere else,” Tyler said. “But at the same time, that being my brother, I only want the best for him. And I remember how close everything came for me last summer. So you never know. But obviously we definitely, we all want him back.”